Goldman Sachs creates investment banking leadership group

Goldman Sachs earlier this week created a leadership group for investment banking, comprising some of its most senior bankers across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea) and Asia-Pacific to further strengthen its client coverage.

The team is called the IBS (investment banking services) leadership group and will be headed by Andy Gordon. Gordon currently heads the west region and global media investment banking for Goldman Sachs, based on the West Coast of the US. Gordon will work with John Weinberg and John Waldron, senior bankers within the investment banking division.

In an internal memo seen by FinanceAsia, Goldman Sachs said: "We will ask this group to assume coverage of a series of our most important franchise accounts, across industries and regions, in an effort to strengthen our footprint of trusted advisory relationships."

The group will "play an important role in influencing the compensation, promotion and overall career development of our IBS bankers," added the memo.

Appointed to the IBS leadership group in Asia-Pacific are Fred Hu, Tim Leissner and James McMurdo.

Hu is chairman of Greater China, responsible for the firm's China strategy and investment banking and is based in Hong Kong. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1997 from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC. He has worked closely with the government of China on various initiatives.

Leissner is co-president of Goldman Sachs Singapore and head of investment banking for Southeast Asia. He moved to Singapore to take up his current position in 2006.

McMurdo is on the board of directors of Goldman's Australia joint venture, Goldman Sachs JB Were. He is currently co-head of the investment banking department for GSJBW, based in Sydney.